You are busy working at your PC, and all of a sudden, the mouse pointer freezes, or the webpage you want to access seems to take forever to load, or you come face-to-face with an error message and cannot make heads or tails of it, or in the worst case, your computer crashes. What’s your first reaction? Do you feel like smashing the keyboard, banging your mouse, and kicking the monitor? If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, then you are a victim of computer rage. We are increasingly dependent on technology in today’s world, and hence, instances of computer rage are on the rise. Venting out anger and frustration on the computer and other related devices when they do not function properly is known as computer rage. When the user cannot fix the problem, or when the problem occurs repeatedly, verbal abuse against the PC is a common way to let out the anger, and in extreme cases, the user can even get physical and bang the mouse, keyboard, or the screen itself.

Such displays of rage is also very common among players of computer and video games, when the user repeatedly loses or is unable to reach his/her game target. One of the most common causes of such rage is the appearance of the blue screen of death, which occurs when MS Windows encounters an error that is critical and non-recoverable in nature, and which usually leads the system to crash, and has to be rebooted.

Ways to Overcome Computer Rage

Rage or anger caused by computer trouble, frustrates workers, causes interruption in the work schedule, ultimately leading to deadlines not being met, which can further anger clients, and result in financial damages. Let us see how to tackle this problem.

Always keep a backup of all your files. Store files online or transfer all necessary data onto CDs and DVDs. So in the event of a system crash, you can always retrieve your files even if the hard drive has to be formatted.

Keep your cool. If you encounter an unexpected system error, do not use swear words or do something like hitting and smashing your PC that could actually harm the hardware. This will do you no good. You could physically hurt yourself and your actions may also cause monetary loss. Instead, get up, and walk away. Breathe deeply. Splash cool water on your face. Take a stroll, have a chat with your coworkers and friends and return only after you feel you have calmed down. You may even realize that you do not feel so frustrated after all. Try to look at things from a different perspective. You may be surprised to find the solution was right there in front of you, but you did not realize it because your mind was so clouded with anger.

Call for help. Make a call to the tech support or IT help-desk of your organization, and ask them to come and have a look at your PC. If you are home, ask for help from a friend or an acquaintance who is good at troubleshooting such problems, or take your laptop to the store to get it repaired or call a tech support company and hire their services.

Do not shout and express your anger at the people around you. It is not their fault that your computer crashed. If you have the tech support working on your problem, make use of the free time by completing unfinished paperwork, making urgent calls, or just chatting up with a coworker. Diverting your mind from the problem at hand can sometimes be beneficial. It will help you to think clearly and logically.

If you face the same problem regularly, get to know the correct debugging and troubleshooting techniques. A little IT knowledge will always prove helpful, and you could even solve the problem yourself, instead of waiting for the tech support to show up.

With computers being used in practically every industry, hardware and software troubles are bound to be on the rise. It’s up to you to keep a calm mind and not get perturbed by computer problems. Do not let computer rage control you. Learn how to control it so it does not interfere with your day-to-day activities.